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(No Model.) W

GAME APPARATUS.

No. 439,425. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

WITNEEEEE. .ZNI/ENTUH.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VALTER A. PRESBREY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,425, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed December 24, 1889. $erial No. 334,879. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. PRESBREY, of the city of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Game Apparatus; and I declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention has reference to an apparatus by means of which a game following the Variations and chances of a tennis-court game may be played, the result of the throwing of each ball being ascertained by cards.

The invention consists in the peculiar and novel arrangement of a chart representing a tennis-court having the various positions indicated by numbers and four packs of playing-cards marked in the peculiar manner, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 represents the chart, which may be made in a book form, if desired, and is provided with two sets of three counters or scorers at each end of the chart -one counter for the points, one counter for the games, and one counter for the sets of games played. Fig. 2 represents one of the cards of the pack of playing cards. Fig. 3 represents one of the serving-cards. Fig. 4 represents the servers marker. Fig. 5 represents the receivers marker.

The court (see accompanying drawings) is divided across the middle by a net, the ends of which are supposed to be attached to two posts A and B, standing outside of the court on either side. In the game as played the net, raequct, and ball are to be imagined.

The game may be played by two, three, or four persons. It consists of a court, as marked out on the chart, two packs of cards of sixty cards each, termed playing-cards, fifty-two cards of each pack being numbered to correspond with numbers on accompanying chart, and also having the names of various plays of the game, as follows: Five cards marked Out stroke, five cards marked Smash, ten cards marked Forehand stroke, seven cards marked Forehand volley, seven cards marked Backhand volley, six cards marked Backhand half-volley, four cards marked Half-volley backward, eight cards marked Backhand stroke, and the remaining eight cards of each pack being named as follows:

five cards marked Net, two cards marked Inside, but out of reach, and one card marked Ball falls short of net. There are also two sets of cards called serving-cards of ten cards each, four cards being named good, four cards fault, and two cards net, together with markers and scorers.

The players shall place themselves on opposite sides of the net. The player who first delivers the imaginary ball is called the server, and the one to whom the ball is served is called the receiver. The server is designatedby the marker S and the receiver by the marker R.

The game as played by two persons is termed singles, and is played as follows: In playing singles the following cards are to be taken from the larger pack or playing-cards and laid aside, those numbered 8, 9, 11, 23, 24, 25, 31, 37, 38, 39, 50,- 52, together with two cards marked Net and one card marked Inside, but out of reach. The serving-pack is not to be changed. In singles, the court included between the numbers 2, 21, 45, 48, 41, 33 and 7 is used, and the game is played without using the lines outside those designated. The right to serve that is, to begin the gameshall be determined by cutting the playingcards, the highest number turned winning the cut. \Vhen both are ready to play, the server shall place himself (represented by his marker S) on the back line of the court, somewhere between ll and 4S, and the receiver must place himself (represented by his marker R) somewhere near 43 on the chart. The server having shuflied his playing-cards and the receiver both his serving and playing cards, they are turned face downward 011 the table. The server 110w in imagination raises his racquet and says play. At the same time he is supposed to bat the imaginary ball over the net, so that it shall strike in the small court included between Nos. 4, 16, and 7. The receiver picks up one of the serving cards, which tells whether the ball struck in that court or not.

The server has two chances to deliver the' imaginary ball into that court; but if he fail in two attempts-that is, if the two cards drawn by the receiver are marked Faultthe point counts for his opponent, and is termed a double. A ball striking on the line is counted as striking within the court.

If, however, a card marked Net should be drawn, the server may have another chance. Net means that the ball just touched the net as it went over. If, however, the card drawn by the receiver was good that is,

either struck in the proper court or on the lines of that COUI't JBhG receiver is obliged to return the imaginary ball over the net, so that it shall strike somewhere within the court bounded by Nos. 2, 21, 45, 48, 41, 33, 7, so he draws a card from his playing-pack, which states to what point he returns the imaginary ball. If that number is located on the chart outside the limits just stated, he loses the point, and it counts for his opponent, or if the card is drawn marked Net, Inside, but out of reach, Falls short of net, it is counted in the same manner; but if the ball strikes within the limits just stated the server is obliged to return the imaginary ball over the net to the receiver. So he takes up a card from his playing-pack which tells the point to which he returns it, and if it strikes outside the court bounded by the numbers 2, 21, 45, 48, 33, 7, he loses the point, or if he draws such other cards as Net, Inside, but out of reach, or Ball falls short of net, but if he returns the ball within the bounds just named the receiver is obliged to again return the imaginary ball by drawing another of his playing-cards telling where he returns the ball, and so on until the point is decided.

The manner of scoring is as follows: On either player winning his first point the score is called fifteen for that player. On either player winning his second point the score is called thirty for that player. On either player winning his third point the score is called forty for that player; and the fourth point won by either player is scored game for that player, exceptas below: If both players have won three points, the score is called deuce, and the next point won by either player is scored advantage for that player. I1": the same player wins the next point, he wins the game. If he loses the next point, the score returns to deuce, and so on until one player wins the two points immediately following the score of deuce, when game is scored for that player. The player who first wins six games wins the set, except as below: If both players win five games, the score is called games all, and the next game won by either player is scored advantage game for that player. If'the same player wins the next game, he wins the set'. If he loses the next game, the score returns to games all, and so on until either player wins the two gamesimmediately followingthe score of games all, when he wins the set. At the end of the first game the receiver shall become the server, and vice versa the server shall become the receiver. When a series of sets is played, the player who served in the last game of one set shall be receiver in the first game of the next set.

the second game.

In the three-handed game two shall play on one side of the net and one on the other side. The two players on the one side shall use between them a pack of single playingcards, as before described, and shall be obliged to return the ball when in play on or within the inner side court-lines, while the one player on the other side shall use the entire pack of playing-cards, with the privilege of returning the ball anywhere on or within the outer side court-lines. A ball striking on the line is counted as striking in court. The method of play is the same as in singles. One of the two shall return all balls striking between the net and service line, while the other shall return all balls striking between service and back lines. The single player shall serve in every alternate game.

The method of play in four-handed or doubles is the same as in singles, except the outer side lines are used, and any ball striking within them must be returned, as in the singles. A full pack of playing-cards is used on both sides.

In the four-handed game the pair who have the right to serve in the first game shall decide which partner shall do so, andthe opposing pair shall decide in like manner for The partner of the-player who served in the first game shall serve in the third and the partner of the player who served in the second game shall serve in the fourth, and the same order shall bemaintained in all the subsequent games'of the set. At the beginning of the next seteither partner of the pair which received in the last game of the last set may serve, and the same privilege is given to their opponents in second game of the new set. The server shall, in imagination, serve first to one opponent and then to the other-that is, one of the opponents shall, when the server says play, pick up from the serving-cards,- and when that point is decided and the server again says Y play the other opponent shall draw from the serving-cards, and so on alternately until the game is decided.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- Ina game apparatus, the combination, with a chart having the representation of a tennis-court thereon and provided with two sets of numbered spots, of two sets of cards, one set of two packs being numbered to correspond with the numbers on the chart and the other set of two packs being designated by the terms used in serving the ball in the well-known game of tennis, all substantially as herein shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WALTER A. PRESBREY.

WVitnesses:

J. A. MILLER, J r. M. F. BLIGH. 

